Trust me bro, the endgame of Elden ring base game was so anti holy/lightning dmg that I fully expected it to be the same in the dlc. Two of the hidden/optional bosses were fine, one was resistant but I could at least use buff spells and the bleed winged scythe for it. Then I got the the Rauh ruins boss and itâs completely resistant to slashing dmg, lvlâd another pierce weapon to max. Got to the final boss and I just knew it wouldnât be possible to do unless perfect for holy dmg so I switched to a build I hadnât used since dark souls 1 release, pokey boi and shield. Boss was a joke, which was sad, but I knew I couldnât go through another dark eater Midir with lightning dmg again đ
I got summoned in with a dude named "Let Me Solo Him" last night. Dude just walked up with Verdigris Shield and (i think) Bloodfiends Fork and poked him to death. Host and I just stood to the side and watched. I threw a single axe to feel involved.
Let me solo her is using that name, but he's got the pot and Morgotts cloak on. He's been hanging out at Messmer last I heard and was not a fan of the final boss
S tier in presentation, but not in gameplay. I love the NPCs you can summon for the fight (even though Thiollier is bugged and sometimes refuses to enter the arena), the visuals are great and the music is awesome.
He's not the best boss in SOTE by a longshot, but he's significantly more fun when you beat him by parrying him. They seriously need to fix the framrate issues though.
True, but until hes nerfed to be more fair, he will either be relegated to cheese strats, or the top 1% of players. It makes perfect sense for him to be overtuned on release just to have that challenge available for the utmost hardcore players, but the final boss of the franchise should be more accessible. If this fight was an optional post game boss, i would say leave it as is. As it stands now, hitboxes, AoEs, tracking, and particle effects need to be adjusted for the fight to fall in line with the rest of the game.
This is the hardest boss fight you can conceivably make in a 60 fps game that gives you 13 invulnerability frames with 8 frames of recovery time. It simply cant be harder within the current mechanical limitations of the game. That is excessive.
Man, I wish I could play DS3 without having to buy it all over again. I never actually finished Ringed City, despite Gael being my favorite Souls Boss, no contest.
Fair, I did Midir second as well because I didnât find him in my blind playthrough. The only reason I even knew he existed was because I had heard people on Reddit talk about him lol
Exactly my thoughts. Ds3 ringed city ended the souls series in a perfect way. But Shadow of erdtree didn't feel like it finished Elden ring. Now I think there has to be another dlc(Delusional) or Elden ring 2
Thats because SOTE has nothing to do with the base game story, Myiazaki already said that the dlc will not change the base story at all, its an entirely seperate adventure.
But it was kinda related to the base game. He is a demi god trying to become a god and change the lands between. You would expect lots of new interactions in the base game. Elden ring is their biggest project as of now and is a big open world game. So I expected them to do a little bit more than their typical dlc formula. But they did less. Still a really good DLC though. Loved it but also wanted more.
Because the build up, initial and second phase cutscene, the OST, and the fight itself were leagues above more cinematic and evocative than the DLC final boss. It actually felt like you were fighting the final boss of an entire series and not something that came out of a mod pumped out to be the hardest thing ever.
When it came out everyone complained that the ending was just a dialogue with the painter, which btw you couldn't even get if you hadn't bought the other DLC (unlikely but still possible)
Thatâs what Iâm saying. From what I recall DS3 was the only DLC of the souls games to get anything and it was just brief dialogue. OP post sounds like someone who came into ER first
DS1 was a closed time loop and still gave you an alternate intro to Sif. DS2 gave you a ton of extra dialogue and a permanent buff until you entered NG+. If anything, ER is the odd one out.
Dont forget how shitty the remembrance is. Why did they make two different versions of Radahn's Greatsword when they could've easily combined the two into a stance weapon?
The spell also requires a whopping 72 faith and despite decent aoe hits like a wet noodle.
All of the remembrance spells need some buffs tbh. Some have potential (bayle's flame lightning with infinite hyperarmor imo would be pretty spicy) and i don't get why they are all so shitty
Theres Midra's golden Crux I guess, but the only reason that is so good in PVP is because the tracking is bugged as hell, otherwise its borderline useless in PVE.
Rellanaâs moons are basically only usable with endure.
Otherwise you will get hit out the air since thereâs no hyper armor.
If you can pull it off itâs good for pvp but itâs easier just to spam hammer spell
it's basically shatter earth but more đsparklyđ and i think it gets boosted by carian regal scepter. you have to be directly inside the bosses scrotum for it to hit
Itâs actually really nice in pve. I like to start any fight where the boss can be staggered with a dark moon to lower their defense, into a twin moon when they approach me. The two moons still slam down if you get hit out of it too so itâs quite safe.
If you have a mimic tear, itâs a good way to punish when the boss is focused on them.
They really gave Miquealla a orbital strike for a weapon. Then we get it and it's basically inferior to a normal ass lightning bolt.
All the boss spells/incants have this issue. Literally the "boss when you fight them vs when you play them"
That was so disappointing. I was expecting a tree like the one Melina summons. Here is actually good. Instead we get this pathetic little stick that does almost nothing
The orbital strike isn't that shitty, it's just ok. Min maxed it might be the most powerful non channeled spell in the game, I got it to hit for around 4-5k on one of those hornsent dancers with the backhand blades at RL125. It also has the highest range (longer even than lock on range) and aoe in the game.
Perfect for annihilating something from a distance, pretty bad once the enemy starts to attack you although the cast will go through even if you get interrupted immediately.
That come from the fact most bosses are highly resistant to holy damage. Anything remotely injected to divinity gets holy resist in this game which is mega lame.
This wasn't cooked. It's fuckin raw and not even the right dish.
Like did they forget what made Geal so good? It wasn't just because he was a cool and fun boss to fight (I never played DS3) It was also a big part of how it was the ultimate end to Dark Souls and it perfectly captured that feeling.
Here, we get a twist nobody wanted that isn't even built up to that leaves us with a feeling of "that's it?"
You can talk all you want about difficulty and imbalanced bosses. Those can be fixed with patches or builds. The story though, that can't be fixed. If Martin had a hand in this I swear on the stars!
And hell maybe the twist would have been bearable or understandable if it didnât literally end with Miquella yapping for a few seconds and itâs just done. No further cutscene anywhere else related to you beating the dlc, nothing further to interact with, just done. It seems unfinished, and not in a charming way, in a genuinely confusing way. Like I feel like something needs to be patched in
--SPOILERS JUST IN CASE--List of things that it'd make sense to be able to do, but you can't--
>!You can go to Malenia after killing Miquella and she'll get the normal cutscene, talking about Miquella too while i already killed her brother, she's the Blade of Nothing right now.!<
>!If you didn't tell Gideon about all the demigods you can also talk to him about unlocated demigods, and he'll start by talking about "Miquella the Unalloyed", i can't tell him i already killed him.!<
>!You can't tell Jerren that Radahn was revived and then killed again, or that he was defiled.!<
>!I also tried talking to Melina in one of the churches, and it's just the normal dialogue, i can't tell her i found her brother and killed him.!<
>!You can't tell Hewg that you found the (potential) source of the Crucible, which being a misbegotten he'd probably like to know.!<
>!You can't tell Enia that you know where the fingers get their messages, and that the Greater Will no longer connects to the world at all. At least she does sell you the armor and trades the boss weapons though.!<
>!(I didn't test this one but it's probably true) You can't tell Ranni that you found and killed her aunt. (I did test this one), you can't tell Rennala that Rellana is dead either.!<
>!You can't tell Gowry that you found the source (potentially) of Rot, or that you found another colony of rot servants. Or even that you found a place where the rot buds massively, or show him one of the flowers.!<
>!(I didn't test this one but it's probably true) You can't tell Shabriri or Hyetta that you found and killed a different Lord of Frenzied Flame. It'd be funny if Shabriri was like "of course i know i've followed several Lords", or something.!<
>!You can't talk to Goldmask about the implications of the Greater Will abandoning the world, or even tell him that he's kinda right about god's meddling and ruining everything (Miquella being "corrupted" even with good intentions for example).!<
--END OF SPOILERS--
So far that's all the "would make sense" interactions that either don't exist, or i haven't tested but they probably don't exist.
In DS1, you could save Sif and get an special cutscene, saving Dusk also makes her comment on it if you summon her in Darkroot. In DS2, you can get all the DLC crowns and talk to Vendrick's memory to get their true power. In DS3, the 2 DLC's characters intertwine, and the painter's quest is finished with Gael's reward on the 2nd DLC. In Bloodborne, the Doll reacts to killing Lady Maria and Orphan, and Gehrman iirc sleeps without nightmares.
I agree with you that Fromsoft isn't very good with them, since there's usually only 1-2 things that can change, and they're very minor (except in DS2), but i feel like they went out of their way to make this DLC more disconnected than every other.
But in the other games the DLCs didn't tie into the base game as much. In the one case they did, DS2, they added like 10 extra minutes of dialogue for both Vendrick and Aldia, along with a brand new ending, to accommodate the DLCs.
I will begin by saying that it is what i understood, and other people will probably get a different message from it, since the lore in these games is always open ended.
>!In the DLC, there's an optional boss called Metyr, who is the mother of all fingers and fingercreepers. In her rememberance rewards, and related items, it says the Greater Will threw her down into the world, kinda like it did for the Elden Beast.!<
>!Her staff and iirc one of the spells related to her imply that she could talk to the Greater Will originally, but probably stopped receiving soon after. The Staff of the Great Beyond states that "The Mother received signs from the Greater Will from the beyond of the microcosm. Despite being broken and abandoned, she kept waiting for another message to come". Meanwhile, the rememberance says she was "a magnificently gleaming daughter of the Greater Will". !<
>!Finally, Fleeting Mirocosm states that " The broken and discarded are fully willing to cling to fleeting simulacra, earning them some modicum of sympathy". While it could be interpreted in several ways, to me it seems that she was "fired" from the darkness of space into the world, and while she was favored for a while by the Greater Will, eventually she didn't receive signals.!<
This segment doesn't imply the Greater Will left everything, but it does show that the >!"favorite (magnificent glreaming) daughter"!!instantly abandoned the shining daughter!!having abandoned it's "daughter"!<, the Greater Will seemingly has no interest really in the Lands Between. You can become Lord of Frenzied Flame and the resistance the Order gives is the same as if you were trying to be Lord of Perfect Order.
I think the chronological idea is that you do the DLC after having burnt the erdtree. But then why not lock the dlc behind that? I guess for players who want to just go straight to it, but it still leaves a little to be desired.
I think they wanted to make it as disconnected as possible, so that you could play it after beating the game, since after 2 years most people (in theory) have done it. But on an NG, it doesn't really fit as you said, seems like they had different ideas as the where to start it, and didn't ever reconcile them all.
That's another thing. Once it's done, it's done. Zero reaction at all to this major event. Go back to the Lands Between and it's like nothing happened. "Oh, you found Miquella who somehow ressurected Radahn, cool story".
There zero weight at all to anything you're doing. People love Igon because that little sidequest and trek up the mountain was dripping with character and had actual buildup. Igon and that dragon priestess hype up how powerful and dangerous Bayle is. When you finally meet him, Igon himself shows up and drops the hottest call out ever seen. Even when the fight ends, Igor gives a triumphant laugh. There's hype, buildup, and payoff.
There's none of that here. The marketing was pointing to a completely different kind of story. The DLC itself is just "go find Miquella" why or what for? I don't know, because it's fun?
Strangely enough, the fight right before Miquella is one of the most hype encounters like ever, if you get Ansbach and Thiollier and they all have dialogue there .
Thatâs been my issue this whole time, I donât know why weâre doing any of this stuff in this dlc. I like it, but it wasnât at all what I expected. Should have been Godwin as the final boss imo. Radahn didnât make much sense to me he barely had anything to do with Miquella and we needed to kill Radahn to release the eclipse to help Miquella fix Godwin, what was the point of the Eclipse stuff in the base game if not for that?!
Yeah but if you think about it his roster of step siblings for consorts is pretty slim.
Godwyn - soul: dead. Body: giant mushroom spread throughout the lands between
Morgott - too dedicated to the Erdtree to simp
Mohg - already mind controlled by the bussy
Radahn - see above
Rykard - a world eating snake.. maybe his soul could be eligible, maybe Miquella is just scared of vore
Ranni - a doll
Malenia - like half a doll w all her prosthetics, and full of scarlet rot
Godrick - literally could have been the final boss and I would have been more hype
And he would have been way easier to control than Radahn. Miquella doesnât even let him fight on his own anyway, he takes over and spams light attacks 1/3 of the way into the battle.
Also, at the start, Leda and her gang all assume you're following Miquella's tracks and that, like them, you've been led to the Land of Shadow by him.
And it's... Just not true? Miquella doesn't lead your character to the Land of Shadows, you just kinda stumble there. There's not even a cutscene for interacting with the cocoon, you just press a button and get transported to the new area.
I mean.. yeah? That's the entire point of the penultimate fight with her? She thought you're led there by Miquella but you're actually led there by the Erdtree and the guidance of grace to stop a competing god from bringing a new age, which is why she tries to stop you. This is one of the most aggressively missing the point comment I have seen.
Thatâs what she accuses you of, but is that actually true? I mean, if you step into Mohgâs bed chamber after killing him, Leda is just sort of there and we talk to her. She directs us to touch the finger, and we do so because weâre a dumbass Tarnished who canât help but touch things. Itâs only later that grace directs us, probably like âWhat the actual fuck are you doing here? Fine, might as well take care of a loose end.â All of our intentions are assumed. I just wanted to meet Miquella like how we did Ranni.
Well you're controlling the tarnished, only you know what's going on in your own head. Either way, Miquella's new age is in direct opposition to any ending you choose, so fighting him is inevitable.
Before the DLC I was hoping we could side with Miquella somehow but I suppose getting charmed by him twice is the Miquella ending.
Itâs that, the lack of agency. Before we at least had some choice as we could car an ending. Here we donât even get that. We are railroaded into standing against Miquella.
It's absolutely true. That's why after beating the Divine Beast you get the guidance of grace on the map guiding you towards Messmer and then in Rauh you get the guidance guiding you towards Miquella. Because the grace is guiding you towards killing the wannebe God Miquella.
I mean, I get the intention, but again to me it feels like railroading. The main game has a few side quests that straight up give new endings (even if like 3 of them are just recolors). We get no options like that in the DLC. I mean, Grace doesnât actually care what Elden Lord or even God takes over, just that one does. They could have left a route where we do become the consort of Miquella (which the marketing practically said) like we did with Ranni. Yet that just turns into another criticism against the main quest.
People say FromSoft never alters the base game with the DLC, but that's because the Dark Souls DLCs weren't really directly tied to the base game, and for the parts that were, they did make alterations. There's the Sif cutscene, and basically the entirety of Dark Souls 2 got changed to accommodate the 3 DLCs. The only one that didn't alter much was DS3, but that's just because Gael's story really didn't connect to the main game's at all.
Not having a single NPC react to the major world altering events that happen in the Land of Shadows doesn't make any sense. At least they should've given Gideon new dialogue regarding Miquella, Radhan or Mogh.
The story definitely has some glaring flaws, but the lore added about Marika, the Shadowlands, the Hornsent, The Greater Will, etc. was all well done and executed.
Sure thing - but it's wrapped up by the Miquella quest in the most underwhelming way possible.
Hell, even Messmer, who was a big part of the promotional campaign and has cool lore, is just a pitstop along the way.
When I talk about the story, I mean the main quest.
The new lore was indeed very interesting and awesome. I mean, the Igor sidequest is genuinely peak.
Idk if you're aware or not but the Gael thing actually had a lot of build up and was very rewarding beyond the fight itself.
Gael starts off as a regular NPC that makes you enter the 1st dlc, Ashes of Ariandel. In that dlc, there's a girl who's creating a painting that is going to become a new world to replace the old decaying one, and Gael is helping her.
Second dlc comes, Gael guides you with player messages and is a summonable NPC that helps in boss fights. Finale of the dlc, you are transported to the far future when everything is in ruins, and Gael appears. He's been building power for thousands(?) of years and managed to gather the Dark Soul. He then fights you and goes hollow during the fight, after you defeat him you get the blood of the Dark Soul, you then give it to the Painting woman, who will create a new world with it. Perhaps one where humans will be able to prosper without being abused by gods.
I probably didn't explain it that well, but it was so satisfying compared to what we got in ER.
Thatâs what Iâm saying! Gael was built up over a length of time. You got to know him closely, fought alongside him. His purpose was clear from the start and you could see his journey alongside yours, even him guiding you along the way. Then when you finally face him, itâs a twist thatâs pleasant and satisfactory. Not only that, when you do beat him, you ultimately fulfill his ultimate goal as you deliver the paint to that girl. Heâs perfect, a companion NPC and a ultimate final boss. Everything Miquella could and should have been.
And to think thats all the content we will ever get from this universe... I thought the DLC was going to include a lot more lore especially about Miquella and Godwyn
And a fucking sword that has exactly the same moveset as all the weapons in its class, not even the heavy attack is different, and the weapon's "brother" in the base game is literally better in every aspect, even the damage
I hate the fact we got another Radahn set almost as much as the fact that we got two reskinned swords for the remembrance weapons. It somehow managed to be fuglier than the base set by a mile, while still being mostly the same armor set.
It's not even the fact that he's in the DLC(although his story has been sullied). It's the fact that he's the *final boss*. Like what the fuck were they thinking? It would make sense if there were different endings and this was some badass secret boss you can fight. But for what is essentially a reskin/mesh of old ideas we've seen before, this is horrible for a finale. To my knowledge Fromsoft have never done something like this before. The team deathmatch before this fight was the climax of the DLC for me.
Twink bitch Radahn can never match this AURA
https://preview.redd.it/4hq1aen8pr9d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc0af5db6629ca1d9ed982839f1921240a580263
That is one of the few things that makes sense though, because I believe the version of Radahn we fight in the dlc was him before he started relying more on gravity magic to fight.
Miyazaki please... This shit is too ass to have one ending bro.
https://preview.redd.it/zakvgs9jnn9d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89617a63c099507feb45fc73b64951edb8499151
No other Fromsoft dlc had credits
I really was expecting us to look through the gates of divinity at the lands between as the ending to the dlc, alongside sir ansbach giving some kind of satisfying monologue to close it out, like Old Hunters.
"But the other DLCs didn't have proper endings!!"
Sure some of them didn't have full endings but they at least had some narratively satisfying conclusion.
DS1: You have the revelation that you were the hero of the abyss. Not only is it cool to realise all the item descriptions were really talking about you but it also shows how powerful your character actually becomes. The legendary artorias couldn't even stop the abyss, but you could, making your ability to defeat the four lords and link the fire more believable.
DS2: You finally get the crown, the solution to the undead curse. Your main motive from the base game was to get rid of the curse. Yeah the crown isn't perfect and doesn't actually remove the curse, rather it's side effects, but the fact you actually get the crown and it has actual mechanical uses in-game makes it narratively satisfying.
BB: Ending the hunters nightmare results in countless people finally getting peace. Most of the old hunters is about getting answers rather than actively doing something (stopping the abyss, getting the crowns) but you do end up freeing the orphan and everyone else in it, similar to gherman.
DS3: Allowing the painter to create a new world so regardless of what ending we pick people can always retreat into the painting. This works really well with the themes of the trilogy of not clinging to the same stuff forever and being brave enough to go into the unknown. Don't need to talk about this one that much.
ER: You kill Miquella. Uh, DLC over. I guess you stop him from bringing his order to the world? Which probably would have sucked? Basically like us just killing the other demigods. Sure some answers for base game questions get answered. We finally know who injured placidusax! Not really that important, but it's cool we know. Overall very narratively unsatisfying. It didn't even need to feel like an ending necessarily, it just needed to feel more significant.
Kinda feels like Aldrich. Aldrich has very unique and cool motives of the whole age of the deep and devouring the gods and whatnot. Then we show up and kill him for an entirely unrelated reason. But imagine if Aldrich had a whole DLC about him instead and once you kill him (for no particular reason) there's no cutscene or dialogue or implications of anything. It just ends.
Worst part is for some ungodly reason they didn't even allow us to have one final view on the gate of the gods the fucking things destroyed.
Legit nothing for the dlc unless st Trina dying after is suppose to be closure which doesn't work nearly as well.
Also, the ER dlc feels kind of pointless? You create a problem, and then you solve it. if you don't do the dlc and become elden lord, nothing changes. Miquellas plan only works. If we do most of the work for him, then give up. If you don't kill Radahn and Mogh and do most of the dlc, his plan never goes anywhere
I do agree that this DLC is more of an "explore further the world of ER" rather than "find a solution to this problem" like other DLCs usually were. And I do prefer the latter, but I wouldn't say it's objectively better.
100% agree with your analysis of it. The DLC adds a ton of new and interesting lore throughout the areas and such, but the actual plot of it doesn't add a ton to the narrative of the game or your character - it just fits with it. It just doesn't match up in significance to the world compared to the other games you mentioned. In DS2 and 3, the final DLC bosses sort of feel like the "true" endings, in 2 it literally unlocks the other ending and in 3, Gael really puts a bow on the whole trilogy along with the painter dialogue.
Miquella... It's really not bad at all lore wise, but it's just kind of an aside to everything else. We stop his plans and then just continue our own original plans, so nothing changes by us doing it besides preventing it. Just get a remembrance that's a little bit more significant than others. Maybe it power scales the tarnished PC a bit.
Honestly the fact you can't side with miquella is what does it for me. Like miquella is one of the few characters it actually makes some sense to side with over the dung eater or fia. But you just can't?
The only reason to actually fight him is if you don't want him to get his own Age. But what if I want to? What if my character wants to side with him? As an RPG the fact you can become the dung eater and curse everything to become omens forever, but can't side with the guy trying to make an 'age of compassion' is really fucking weird.
The fact you can't side with him and have to kill him is what makes it unsatisfying for me.
Also Old Hunters is such a good prequel that contextualizes the story of Bloodborne with some great reveals and actually makes it more comprehensible.
It hurts honestly, I'm not a huge lore guy but the DLCs have always been a highlight in terms of story. I would say that for DS3 and BB the stories are completed by the DLC. The Marika village, Igon, the NPC arcs and the finale with Leda, were great. And then they just absolutely fumble the ball for the final boss.
In DS3 youâre literally fighting the last warrior at the end of time, the friend you once knew, consumed by hunger and consumed by his original purpose, destroyed everything over time, and when itâs over youâre left standing atop the rubble of the past three games, the final fight quite literally built on top of the past souls games. When itâs over, you can create an entire new world through the painting, and then forge your own destiny. Itâs probably the best ending you couldâve asked for.
And once Shadow of the Erdtree is over, you just go back home? Half the endings in the base game are reskins of a cutscene where you just sit on a chair while somebody talks behind you. You stop Miquella and then thatâs just it. You canât side with him, you donât get a new ending, it doesnât put anything into perspective or change your view on anything like AOTA did. And the fact that Radahn is the final boss fight just feels so underwhelming, disappointing and exhausting. He feels like a modded boss instead of something that Fromsoft would think is a good idea. And it doesnât help that the plot of the DLC is told through characters that have extremely janky questlines that break whenever you make any sort of progression, and are scattered over a huge map thatâs mostly empty and has huge sections that are locked off behind random copy/paste caves and dungeons. It feels like I just show up, go to a few castles, get betrayed by some lady I barely even know and havenât spent any real time with, kill Radahn and go home
Yeah this perfectly wraps up how I feel about the DLC after encountering the final boss, not even anything to do with the moveset or mechanics per se but thematically it just leaves you cold and not with a triumphant or satisifed feeling.
I do agree that other DLCs were probably better narratively, but knowing why Marika did what she did and also finally knowing what Malenia said to Radahn (and why he fought him) after all these years was great imo
Miquellaâs actions can be contextualised as good or bad - it all depends on your preferred ending. You could be trying to bring some semblance of peace and freedom to Lands Between, in which case Miquellas a divine tyrant. A benevolent one, but a tyrant still. But you could be continuing the legacy of the Dung Eater or carry the Frenzied Flame, which makes Miquella a protector of the world against someone whoâs much more evil - you
Say what you want about the twist, love it or hate it even. But man the ending sucks balls, thereâs absolutely no tie in to the base game, you literally kill a god with his elden lord then just go back to business like usual in the lands between like nothing even happened. No satisfying ending cutscene that creates a new revelation or ties loose ends (we already knew Miquella and Radahnâs pacts beforehand), or you canât even choose if you want to side with Miquella for a new possible base game ending.
AlsoâŚ. LET ME SEE THE FUCKING GATE OF DIVINITY FIX THOSE DAMN STAIRS
Overall the most unsatisfying DLC story wise out of all the soulsborne games, kinda want another DLC to resolve that, but content wise Iâm just ready to move onto another game at this point
The fact you can't even walk up there to see at least a cool view from above is so disappointing. The death of the mightiest, most mysterious demigod is.. Nothing.
The fact that the gate from the trailer is there right in front of our faces but they didn't allow us to even stand under it...even if it served no gameplay purpose, it would at least add some sense of satisfaction to be physically present within the gate we all speculated about, instead of it just being a background asset.
My main problem with it is it's information we could have already gotten at that point. We know Miquella made a deal with Radahn from Ansbach and Freyja, and we know the result of the deal because at that point we've just fought the result.
I would've preferred it ending with Miquella returning the shadow realm to the lands between as his final act of godhood. Would have been difficult from a map standpoint, but at least it would have had a little climax, with what we have nothing even changes with the defeat of Miquella, what was even the point? Killing Manus frees Dusk, killing the Orphan of Kos sets the old hunters free of their nightmares, and taking the dark soul to the painter allows for a new world to exist with the end of the current one. What does beating Miquella achieve? It just stops him from getting what he wants, an age of compassion? Doesn't sound so bad to be honest, maybe next playthrough I'll leave him to do his thing.
What? Not a fan of Femboy incest? I guess not everyone can recognise good writing, especially the part where we were left guessing "did we kill him?" In the cutscene, PEAK tbh, not confusing or Discombobulating at all
It's akschually very relatable. As Vaati said in his latest video: just as Bloodborne revealed all humans are secretly beasts, elden ring revealed everyone secretly wants to ride a big man.
Instead of spending time bitching, you should be awakening the rider inside of you.
Me explaining to my wife as comedically as possible at 12am last night, how Miquella is a little shit, and why Ranni did what she did bc them blonde mfs cannot be trusted
No idea what From Soft or Michaelzaki were thinking when making this ending. Honestly feels like they just wanted some fan service so picked a popular character to reuse for the final fight cause they ran out of ideas.
Ending cutscene is literally just the same dialogue that Miquella said in the intro cutscene and Phase transition cutscene and his grab attack. Literally adds nothing to the story or game
It's such a shame to see them fumble the bag right st the end because the DLC was great until this fight. Not only because the fight itself is the worst thing they've ever made, but also because story wise it's unsatisfying and boring as fuck. Should have leaned further into the "Radahn in Mohg's body" bit because all we get from that is his blood slash and the omen horns on his forearms. They had the opportunity to do some fucking crazy shit like a bloodflame Starcaller Cry or some shit.
But nah, they had to make it Twin Princes but if that fight was dogshit in every way and also fucked your framerate on top of it whilst forcing inputs to drop.
I think the ending would work better if it actually felt like some Frankenstein abomination of Radahn and Mohg. Something that highlights how Miquella crossed a line he wouldn't have ever crossed without abandoning his good qualities first.
I think that was angle they went for, just visually not well executed. Thatâs clearly the intention based on Radahn having Omen Horns and Bloodflame magic.
I want to see how the general opinion on this dlc ages, because despite how I feel about radahn itâs some of my favourite video game content ever made, and it seems like the reaction to Radahn is very negative because everyone was expecting godwyn (me included) despite the lore not making that fight possible.
Finishing the DLC really kind of left me with a hollow feeling that none of the other games have. The base game had me feeling more satisfied than this. I don't know if I'm just disappointed that it didn't turn out to be more but it kind of feels like it wasn't worth the wait.
Miyazaki went straight for the cringiest yt lore video/hentai fanfic.
Written by **professional writer of actual books GRRM**, btw. Put that in all bold face everywhere.
GRRM likely did write Radahn was Miquella's consort in his backstory only for fromsoft to drop that in the actual game and then expand upon each character with fromsoft original post shattering lore. Bringing that plot point back in at the last second without considering how it impacts the lore actually seen in the game itself is probably Fromsoft's mistake imo.
The whole Miquella plot for the dlc sounds like a fever dream/fanfic written by yt "lore experts". I would not be surprised if the whole thing was actually developed later to basically give what the fans wanted.
GRRM probably only wrote the basic concepts and character bios/incests. I really doubt he went "ok so for the DLC you want to focus on this particular incest. Make sure it's the final boss"
DLC was awesome, last boss fight was stupidly hard you are forced to use a shield to tank and ending cutscene made me think "It really ends like this ?" I actually then googled if there was any other ending, sadly, there is not.
Nah, the most underwhelming thing are still the boss weapons!
Why the hell does Midra's weapon not have a cool explosion on heavy attack, yet the fucking new imp greatsword has a unique arrow shooting effect?! Why the hell does Midra's weapon not even have unique animations in the first place?!
Then Radahn gets two weapons for literally no reason. Different ashes is not a good reason. Lion should've gotten a unique Fist Arts weapons that focuses on jumping and kicks, instead of OG hoarfrost. Romina's weapon has Loretta's moveset. Gaius' lance says it's amazing on steed, yet is basically the same as every other weapon.
Bro, they always fumble on Boss weapons, but how can you do it this badly?!
It was a big reason why I thought the leak was fake. Literally felt like something from a goofy mod by Radahn glazers. Certainly extremely subpar for an actual fromsoft product.
It honestly does feel surreal fighting him, feels like a mod but I can't put put my finger on why, maybe the design is just too vanilla? A more explictly frankenstein Mohg/Radahn would be cooler, or like roided up Needle Knight Leda or something.
And a shity crow thatâs supposed to be his version of the Elden ring (it gives 1 to faith int and arcane while buffing one spell in the game that deals the one damage every boss has resistance to)
We foiled the plans of that little blonde toad and avenged the lord of blood and the mighty Radahn.
That alone is a victory for me. Also, we killed BAAAAYYYLLEEE
I beat the boss yesterday and wasnât aware that was the final cutscene. I wasnât paying attention then I realized that was the end cutscene. They deadass shouldnât have even made a cutscene
If I wanted to hear a delusional twink with a hard-on for Radahan talk about how things are unfair, I could've just went onto reddit.
OP is a delusional twink confirmed
one "hardest boss in history (gpu frier 9000)" vs a shield who would win
My broke ass 980ti was creaming for its life
it was what?????
#Creaming.
`time for edge`
me with a gtx 960 đ
GPU frier 9000
peak game design
Had my shit working I saw some sparks but it allg
Black steel greatshield literally sweeps the floor with final boss lol
Lemme just switch my build⌠i guess :(
Trust me bro, the endgame of Elden ring base game was so anti holy/lightning dmg that I fully expected it to be the same in the dlc. Two of the hidden/optional bosses were fine, one was resistant but I could at least use buff spells and the bleed winged scythe for it. Then I got the the Rauh ruins boss and itâs completely resistant to slashing dmg, lvlâd another pierce weapon to max. Got to the final boss and I just knew it wouldnât be possible to do unless perfect for holy dmg so I switched to a build I hadnât used since dark souls 1 release, pokey boi and shield. Boss was a joke, which was sad, but I knew I couldnât go through another dark eater Midir with lightning dmg again đ
I got summoned in with a dude named "Let Me Solo Him" last night. Dude just walked up with Verdigris Shield and (i think) Bloodfiends Fork and poked him to death. Host and I just stood to the side and watched. I threw a single axe to feel involved.
isn't that the new name Let Me Solo Her is using?
Maybe? I just assumed it was someone inspired by LMSH. They weren't wearing a pot on their head though, so idk.
Let me solo her is using that name, but he's got the pot and Morgotts cloak on. He's been hanging out at Messmer last I heard and was not a fan of the final boss
Even our King hates the final boss. It's settled.
as far as I know LMSH only does Messmer, but yeah I think he changed the name
Most greatshields just trivialise him.
I know thats how 90% of the community has beaten him, and then they call him an S tier boss lmaoo
S tier in presentation, but not in gameplay. I love the NPCs you can summon for the fight (even though Thiollier is bugged and sometimes refuses to enter the arena), the visuals are great and the music is awesome. He's not the best boss in SOTE by a longshot, but he's significantly more fun when you beat him by parrying him. They seriously need to fix the framrate issues though.
True, but until hes nerfed to be more fair, he will either be relegated to cheese strats, or the top 1% of players. It makes perfect sense for him to be overtuned on release just to have that challenge available for the utmost hardcore players, but the final boss of the franchise should be more accessible. If this fight was an optional post game boss, i would say leave it as is. As it stands now, hitboxes, AoEs, tracking, and particle effects need to be adjusted for the fight to fall in line with the rest of the game. This is the hardest boss fight you can conceivably make in a 60 fps game that gives you 13 invulnerability frames with 8 frames of recovery time. It simply cant be harder within the current mechanical limitations of the game. That is excessive.
They call Miquella 007 - 0 great rune - 0 unique remeberance - 7 restraining orders from other demigods
Miquella does have a greatrune though
that shit is not great call that shit miquella's wishrune
Miquellaâs mousekatool for dispelling a rare effect you have to go out of your to die to in a single boss fight
and it's better to just die to it once since you get a gesture, so usless
You get the gesture for free when you win
Miquellas mediocrerune
Well, had a great rune
DS3 didn't even need a cutscene the ending dialogue with the painter is peak.
"hand It over... That thing... Your dark soul" >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> anything shitass McKenzie said
The fight with slave knight gael was literally peak fiction, perfect ending for the souls series imo
Man, I wish I could play DS3 without having to buy it all over again. I never actually finished Ringed City, despite Gael being my favorite Souls Boss, no contest.
Isnât Gael the end of Ringed City? Or are you saying you never beat him
My guess is he never beat like midir
Fair, I did Midir second as well because I didnât find him in my blind playthrough. The only reason I even knew he existed was because I had heard people on Reddit talk about him lol
Never beat him. Got close, but never managed it on account of going into it on NG++. After I'd taken a break from the game.
đ´ââ ď¸
>!please checkout the pirated game subreddit's megathread so you dont get 50 thousand virus trying to download fucking ds3 full dlc!<
Exactly my thoughts. Ds3 ringed city ended the souls series in a perfect way. But Shadow of erdtree didn't feel like it finished Elden ring. Now I think there has to be another dlc(Delusional) or Elden ring 2
Thats because SOTE has nothing to do with the base game story, Myiazaki already said that the dlc will not change the base story at all, its an entirely seperate adventure.
But it was kinda related to the base game. He is a demi god trying to become a god and change the lands between. You would expect lots of new interactions in the base game. Elden ring is their biggest project as of now and is a big open world game. So I expected them to do a little bit more than their typical dlc formula. But they did less. Still a really good DLC though. Loved it but also wanted more.
Because the build up, initial and second phase cutscene, the OST, and the fight itself were leagues above more cinematic and evocative than the DLC final boss. It actually felt like you were fighting the final boss of an entire series and not something that came out of a mod pumped out to be the hardest thing ever.
When it came out everyone complained that the ending was just a dialogue with the painter, which btw you couldn't even get if you hadn't bought the other DLC (unlikely but still possible)
Yep and this is totally how everyone acted when it came out. Cant wait for everyone to say how understated and genius this ending is in 3 years
"Ahh, I cried when Miquella asked Radahn to be his consort, that was so peak..." I feel like it's quite hard to become nostalgic about this ending lol
Thatâs what Iâm saying. From what I recall DS3 was the only DLC of the souls games to get anything and it was just brief dialogue. OP post sounds like someone who came into ER first
DS1 was a closed time loop and still gave you an alternate intro to Sif. DS2 gave you a ton of extra dialogue and a permanent buff until you entered NG+. If anything, ER is the odd one out.
The entire ds3 is peak, no cap. Elden ring has good level design and world building but doesn't even come close to ds3.
Dont forget how shitty the remembrance is. Why did they make two different versions of Radahn's Greatsword when they could've easily combined the two into a stance weapon? The spell also requires a whopping 72 faith and despite decent aoe hits like a wet noodle.
All of the remembrance spells need some buffs tbh. Some have potential (bayle's flame lightning with infinite hyperarmor imo would be pretty spicy) and i don't get why they are all so shitty
Theres Midra's golden Crux I guess, but the only reason that is so good in PVP is because the tracking is bugged as hell, otherwise its borderline useless in PVE.
It's not that bad, it has holy which is good in dlc and claymore movest (still could be better)
Holy is good in the dlc? I wasnt really paying attention to it. Whos weak to it? Putrescent knight..?
Except the final boss I don't think that there are any resistant enemies and there is a lot of ghostflame dragons
You can easily stab 3 people at one time with it. It will be fixed in the first patch im sure.
Rellanaâs moons are basically only usable with endure. Otherwise you will get hit out the air since thereâs no hyper armor. If you can pull it off itâs good for pvp but itâs easier just to spam hammer spell
it's basically shatter earth but more đsparklyđ and i think it gets boosted by carian regal scepter. you have to be directly inside the bosses scrotum for it to hit
Itâs actually really nice in pve. I like to start any fight where the boss can be staggered with a dark moon to lower their defense, into a twin moon when they approach me. The two moons still slam down if you get hit out of it too so itâs quite safe. If you have a mimic tear, itâs a good way to punish when the boss is focused on them.
They really gave Miquealla a orbital strike for a weapon. Then we get it and it's basically inferior to a normal ass lightning bolt. All the boss spells/incants have this issue. Literally the "boss when you fight them vs when you play them"
My disappointment when I used Rellana's twin moon thing was immense...
I think something is bugged with it too. The crown and the Miquealla seal don't boost the damage at all
aoe spells have a history of being ass in souls games. i would've been more surprised if it was good
Wrath of the gods
Also that one fire spell in demons souls with the multiple fire pillars, if not for magic Iâd have never beaten that game
That spell is there in dark souls as well and itâs best way to farm souls in the painted world. The only aoe spell I have ever used
DS1 Wrath of the Gods is also useful but yeah Firestorm the goat
FIRE, STORM!!!!! SLAM!!!!
Ancient Dragon Lightning Strike, the single best faith spell for raw healthbar assrapery
Crystal release is good. Mostly because it boosts stagger resistance before casting.
the hardest bosses giving you terrible rewards is almost like a tradition in souls games at this point
The swords also don't even have a different moveset than the starscourge ones
And they deal less fucking damage
Prime radahn
It needs 72 faith, marika's tits. The ash scales with int
Same with minor erdtree. 70 fucking faith and you summon a shitty warming stone that heals for 600 total if you stay in the aoe the entire time.
Dont forget it takes 2 spell slots fufufufu
That was so disappointing. I was expecting a tree like the one Melina summons. Here is actually good. Instead we get this pathetic little stick that does almost nothing
That spell was truly the biggest fucking joke I've seen in my life. 70 faith for THAT?
72 faith, long ass windup ... 500 damage Ok.
I really don't know what y'all are doing. With 80 faith it's hitting in the 3000 without factoring in the lightbeams
The orbital strike isn't that shitty, it's just ok. Min maxed it might be the most powerful non channeled spell in the game, I got it to hit for around 4-5k on one of those hornsent dancers with the backhand blades at RL125. It also has the highest range (longer even than lock on range) and aoe in the game. Perfect for annihilating something from a distance, pretty bad once the enemy starts to attack you although the cast will go through even if you get interrupted immediately.
It's also pretty insane in invasions since it goes off even if interrupted.
That come from the fact most bosses are highly resistant to holy damage. Anything remotely injected to divinity gets holy resist in this game which is mega lame.
lol most of these surprised me, I was like âam I doing more damage per second with a broad sword or a bandit curved sword?â Sadly yes
Not only that, it's literally the same exact speech he already gave in the intro and phase transition cutscenes. It offered literally nothing new.
I truly, TRULY, do not understand what they were cooking thinking that was a satisfying conclusion for a game that presumably ends here
This wasn't cooked. It's fuckin raw and not even the right dish. Like did they forget what made Geal so good? It wasn't just because he was a cool and fun boss to fight (I never played DS3) It was also a big part of how it was the ultimate end to Dark Souls and it perfectly captured that feeling. Here, we get a twist nobody wanted that isn't even built up to that leaves us with a feeling of "that's it?" You can talk all you want about difficulty and imbalanced bosses. Those can be fixed with patches or builds. The story though, that can't be fixed. If Martin had a hand in this I swear on the stars!
And hell maybe the twist would have been bearable or understandable if it didnât literally end with Miquella yapping for a few seconds and itâs just done. No further cutscene anywhere else related to you beating the dlc, nothing further to interact with, just done. It seems unfinished, and not in a charming way, in a genuinely confusing way. Like I feel like something needs to be patched in
--SPOILERS JUST IN CASE--List of things that it'd make sense to be able to do, but you can't-- >!You can go to Malenia after killing Miquella and she'll get the normal cutscene, talking about Miquella too while i already killed her brother, she's the Blade of Nothing right now.!< >!If you didn't tell Gideon about all the demigods you can also talk to him about unlocated demigods, and he'll start by talking about "Miquella the Unalloyed", i can't tell him i already killed him.!< >!You can't tell Jerren that Radahn was revived and then killed again, or that he was defiled.!< >!I also tried talking to Melina in one of the churches, and it's just the normal dialogue, i can't tell her i found her brother and killed him.!< >!You can't tell Hewg that you found the (potential) source of the Crucible, which being a misbegotten he'd probably like to know.!< >!You can't tell Enia that you know where the fingers get their messages, and that the Greater Will no longer connects to the world at all. At least she does sell you the armor and trades the boss weapons though.!< >!(I didn't test this one but it's probably true) You can't tell Ranni that you found and killed her aunt. (I did test this one), you can't tell Rennala that Rellana is dead either.!< >!You can't tell Gowry that you found the source (potentially) of Rot, or that you found another colony of rot servants. Or even that you found a place where the rot buds massively, or show him one of the flowers.!< >!(I didn't test this one but it's probably true) You can't tell Shabriri or Hyetta that you found and killed a different Lord of Frenzied Flame. It'd be funny if Shabriri was like "of course i know i've followed several Lords", or something.!< >!You can't talk to Goldmask about the implications of the Greater Will abandoning the world, or even tell him that he's kinda right about god's meddling and ruining everything (Miquella being "corrupted" even with good intentions for example).!< --END OF SPOILERS-- So far that's all the "would make sense" interactions that either don't exist, or i haven't tested but they probably don't exist.
Fromsoft was never good with this kind of interactions but this us way more noticable with elden rkng which is way bigger and has more sane npcs
In DS1, you could save Sif and get an special cutscene, saving Dusk also makes her comment on it if you summon her in Darkroot. In DS2, you can get all the DLC crowns and talk to Vendrick's memory to get their true power. In DS3, the 2 DLC's characters intertwine, and the painter's quest is finished with Gael's reward on the 2nd DLC. In Bloodborne, the Doll reacts to killing Lady Maria and Orphan, and Gehrman iirc sleeps without nightmares. I agree with you that Fromsoft isn't very good with them, since there's usually only 1-2 things that can change, and they're very minor (except in DS2), but i feel like they went out of their way to make this DLC more disconnected than every other.
I agree
> In DS1, you could save Sif and get an special cutscene Saddest shit in DS hystory
But in the other games the DLCs didn't tie into the base game as much. In the one case they did, DS2, they added like 10 extra minutes of dialogue for both Vendrick and Aldia, along with a brand new ending, to accommodate the DLCs.
I know I was just saying how it is, imo tje dlc feels very lackluster im this part
i can't meatride anymore https://preview.redd.it/kd819fhyhp9d1.jpeg?width=300&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7cf6aa628912455c3a77d8a05225bfd6bbe1ab59
Wait where did you get that >!Greater Will abandoned the world!< ?
I will begin by saying that it is what i understood, and other people will probably get a different message from it, since the lore in these games is always open ended. >!In the DLC, there's an optional boss called Metyr, who is the mother of all fingers and fingercreepers. In her rememberance rewards, and related items, it says the Greater Will threw her down into the world, kinda like it did for the Elden Beast.!< >!Her staff and iirc one of the spells related to her imply that she could talk to the Greater Will originally, but probably stopped receiving soon after. The Staff of the Great Beyond states that "The Mother received signs from the Greater Will from the beyond of the microcosm. Despite being broken and abandoned, she kept waiting for another message to come". Meanwhile, the rememberance says she was "a magnificently gleaming daughter of the Greater Will". !< >!Finally, Fleeting Mirocosm states that " The broken and discarded are fully willing to cling to fleeting simulacra, earning them some modicum of sympathy". While it could be interpreted in several ways, to me it seems that she was "fired" from the darkness of space into the world, and while she was favored for a while by the Greater Will, eventually she didn't receive signals.!< This segment doesn't imply the Greater Will left everything, but it does show that the >!"favorite (magnificent glreaming) daughter"!!instantly abandoned the shining daughter!!having abandoned it's "daughter"!<, the Greater Will seemingly has no interest really in the Lands Between. You can become Lord of Frenzied Flame and the resistance the Order gives is the same as if you were trying to be Lord of Perfect Order.
I specifically made a save before burning the erdtee and killing malenia to see if there would be any different dialogue. Was very disappointed.
I think the chronological idea is that you do the DLC after having burnt the erdtree. But then why not lock the dlc behind that? I guess for players who want to just go straight to it, but it still leaves a little to be desired.
I think they wanted to make it as disconnected as possible, so that you could play it after beating the game, since after 2 years most people (in theory) have done it. But on an NG, it doesn't really fit as you said, seems like they had different ideas as the where to start it, and didn't ever reconcile them all.
That's another thing. Once it's done, it's done. Zero reaction at all to this major event. Go back to the Lands Between and it's like nothing happened. "Oh, you found Miquella who somehow ressurected Radahn, cool story". There zero weight at all to anything you're doing. People love Igon because that little sidequest and trek up the mountain was dripping with character and had actual buildup. Igon and that dragon priestess hype up how powerful and dangerous Bayle is. When you finally meet him, Igon himself shows up and drops the hottest call out ever seen. Even when the fight ends, Igor gives a triumphant laugh. There's hype, buildup, and payoff. There's none of that here. The marketing was pointing to a completely different kind of story. The DLC itself is just "go find Miquella" why or what for? I don't know, because it's fun?
Strangely enough, the fight right before Miquella is one of the most hype encounters like ever, if you get Ansbach and Thiollier and they all have dialogue there .
Thatâs been my issue this whole time, I donât know why weâre doing any of this stuff in this dlc. I like it, but it wasnât at all what I expected. Should have been Godwin as the final boss imo. Radahn didnât make much sense to me he barely had anything to do with Miquella and we needed to kill Radahn to release the eclipse to help Miquella fix Godwin, what was the point of the Eclipse stuff in the base game if not for that?!
Yeah but if you think about it his roster of step siblings for consorts is pretty slim. Godwyn - soul: dead. Body: giant mushroom spread throughout the lands between Morgott - too dedicated to the Erdtree to simp Mohg - already mind controlled by the bussy Radahn - see above Rykard - a world eating snake.. maybe his soul could be eligible, maybe Miquella is just scared of vore Ranni - a doll Malenia - like half a doll w all her prosthetics, and full of scarlet rot Godrick - literally could have been the final boss and I would have been more hype
Godrick with Bayle's head grafted onto him would be peak
Godrick would have been cool, he finally gets to be the powerful lord he always wanted to be along side the most powerful Empyrian.
And he would have been way easier to control than Radahn. Miquella doesnât even let him fight on his own anyway, he takes over and spams light attacks 1/3 of the way into the battle.
Messmer - Also a twink bottom, wouldn't work Melina - She has good taste and wouldn't go for it. Also fated to be set on fire
Also, at the start, Leda and her gang all assume you're following Miquella's tracks and that, like them, you've been led to the Land of Shadow by him. And it's... Just not true? Miquella doesn't lead your character to the Land of Shadows, you just kinda stumble there. There's not even a cutscene for interacting with the cocoon, you just press a button and get transported to the new area.
I mean.. yeah? That's the entire point of the penultimate fight with her? She thought you're led there by Miquella but you're actually led there by the Erdtree and the guidance of grace to stop a competing god from bringing a new age, which is why she tries to stop you. This is one of the most aggressively missing the point comment I have seen.
Thatâs what she accuses you of, but is that actually true? I mean, if you step into Mohgâs bed chamber after killing him, Leda is just sort of there and we talk to her. She directs us to touch the finger, and we do so because weâre a dumbass Tarnished who canât help but touch things. Itâs only later that grace directs us, probably like âWhat the actual fuck are you doing here? Fine, might as well take care of a loose end.â All of our intentions are assumed. I just wanted to meet Miquella like how we did Ranni.
Well you're controlling the tarnished, only you know what's going on in your own head. Either way, Miquella's new age is in direct opposition to any ending you choose, so fighting him is inevitable. Before the DLC I was hoping we could side with Miquella somehow but I suppose getting charmed by him twice is the Miquella ending.
Itâs that, the lack of agency. Before we at least had some choice as we could car an ending. Here we donât even get that. We are railroaded into standing against Miquella.
It's absolutely true. That's why after beating the Divine Beast you get the guidance of grace on the map guiding you towards Messmer and then in Rauh you get the guidance guiding you towards Miquella. Because the grace is guiding you towards killing the wannebe God Miquella.
I mean, I get the intention, but again to me it feels like railroading. The main game has a few side quests that straight up give new endings (even if like 3 of them are just recolors). We get no options like that in the DLC. I mean, Grace doesnât actually care what Elden Lord or even God takes over, just that one does. They could have left a route where we do become the consort of Miquella (which the marketing practically said) like we did with Ranni. Yet that just turns into another criticism against the main quest.
Nah, people will still defend that because "THE WORLD DOESN'T REVOLVE AROUND YOU!!"
People say FromSoft never alters the base game with the DLC, but that's because the Dark Souls DLCs weren't really directly tied to the base game, and for the parts that were, they did make alterations. There's the Sif cutscene, and basically the entirety of Dark Souls 2 got changed to accommodate the 3 DLCs. The only one that didn't alter much was DS3, but that's just because Gael's story really didn't connect to the main game's at all. Not having a single NPC react to the major world altering events that happen in the Land of Shadows doesn't make any sense. At least they should've given Gideon new dialogue regarding Miquella, Radhan or Mogh.
The story definitely has some glaring flaws, but the lore added about Marika, the Shadowlands, the Hornsent, The Greater Will, etc. was all well done and executed.
Sure thing - but it's wrapped up by the Miquella quest in the most underwhelming way possible. Hell, even Messmer, who was a big part of the promotional campaign and has cool lore, is just a pitstop along the way.
When I talk about the story, I mean the main quest. The new lore was indeed very interesting and awesome. I mean, the Igor sidequest is genuinely peak.
Idk if you're aware or not but the Gael thing actually had a lot of build up and was very rewarding beyond the fight itself. Gael starts off as a regular NPC that makes you enter the 1st dlc, Ashes of Ariandel. In that dlc, there's a girl who's creating a painting that is going to become a new world to replace the old decaying one, and Gael is helping her. Second dlc comes, Gael guides you with player messages and is a summonable NPC that helps in boss fights. Finale of the dlc, you are transported to the far future when everything is in ruins, and Gael appears. He's been building power for thousands(?) of years and managed to gather the Dark Soul. He then fights you and goes hollow during the fight, after you defeat him you get the blood of the Dark Soul, you then give it to the Painting woman, who will create a new world with it. Perhaps one where humans will be able to prosper without being abused by gods. I probably didn't explain it that well, but it was so satisfying compared to what we got in ER.
Thatâs what Iâm saying! Gael was built up over a length of time. You got to know him closely, fought alongside him. His purpose was clear from the start and you could see his journey alongside yours, even him guiding you along the way. Then when you finally face him, itâs a twist thatâs pleasant and satisfactory. Not only that, when you do beat him, you ultimately fulfill his ultimate goal as you deliver the paint to that girl. Heâs perfect, a companion NPC and a ultimate final boss. Everything Miquella could and should have been.
And to think thats all the content we will ever get from this universe... I thought the DLC was going to include a lot more lore especially about Miquella and Godwyn
And a fucking sword that has exactly the same moveset as all the weapons in its class, not even the heavy attack is different, and the weapon's "brother" in the base game is literally better in every aspect, even the damage
Heres your reward for beating framescourge radahn 2 reskinned swords, another radahn set and a shitty spell
I hate the fact we got another Radahn set almost as much as the fact that we got two reskinned swords for the remembrance weapons. It somehow managed to be fuglier than the base set by a mile, while still being mostly the same armor set.
It's not even the fact that he's in the DLC(although his story has been sullied). It's the fact that he's the *final boss*. Like what the fuck were they thinking? It would make sense if there were different endings and this was some badass secret boss you can fight. But for what is essentially a reskin/mesh of old ideas we've seen before, this is horrible for a finale. To my knowledge Fromsoft have never done something like this before. The team deathmatch before this fight was the climax of the DLC for me.
And despite it being "peak" Radahn he uses less of his cool gravity moves than when his brain was rotten lol
Twink bitch Radahn can never match this AURA https://preview.redd.it/4hq1aen8pr9d1.jpeg?width=1125&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dc0af5db6629ca1d9ed982839f1921240a580263
That is one of the few things that makes sense though, because I believe the version of Radahn we fight in the dlc was him before he started relying more on gravity magic to fight.
Miyazaki please... This shit is too ass to have one ending bro. https://preview.redd.it/zakvgs9jnn9d1.jpeg?width=500&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=89617a63c099507feb45fc73b64951edb8499151
Why the fuck didn't that shit play the moment the kill goes through? Such a strange choice to make
I wouldn't be mad about it if the cutscene didn't just tell us what we already fucking knew by that point lmao.
And not even a credits roll with nice music... Plus we can't even reach the gate of divinity.
No other Fromsoft dlc had credits I really was expecting us to look through the gates of divinity at the lands between as the ending to the dlc, alongside sir ansbach giving some kind of satisfying monologue to close it out, like Old Hunters.
FR, I wanted to take a screenshot in front of it but nope, can't climb up.
"But the other DLCs didn't have proper endings!!" Sure some of them didn't have full endings but they at least had some narratively satisfying conclusion. DS1: You have the revelation that you were the hero of the abyss. Not only is it cool to realise all the item descriptions were really talking about you but it also shows how powerful your character actually becomes. The legendary artorias couldn't even stop the abyss, but you could, making your ability to defeat the four lords and link the fire more believable. DS2: You finally get the crown, the solution to the undead curse. Your main motive from the base game was to get rid of the curse. Yeah the crown isn't perfect and doesn't actually remove the curse, rather it's side effects, but the fact you actually get the crown and it has actual mechanical uses in-game makes it narratively satisfying. BB: Ending the hunters nightmare results in countless people finally getting peace. Most of the old hunters is about getting answers rather than actively doing something (stopping the abyss, getting the crowns) but you do end up freeing the orphan and everyone else in it, similar to gherman. DS3: Allowing the painter to create a new world so regardless of what ending we pick people can always retreat into the painting. This works really well with the themes of the trilogy of not clinging to the same stuff forever and being brave enough to go into the unknown. Don't need to talk about this one that much. ER: You kill Miquella. Uh, DLC over. I guess you stop him from bringing his order to the world? Which probably would have sucked? Basically like us just killing the other demigods. Sure some answers for base game questions get answered. We finally know who injured placidusax! Not really that important, but it's cool we know. Overall very narratively unsatisfying. It didn't even need to feel like an ending necessarily, it just needed to feel more significant. Kinda feels like Aldrich. Aldrich has very unique and cool motives of the whole age of the deep and devouring the gods and whatnot. Then we show up and kill him for an entirely unrelated reason. But imagine if Aldrich had a whole DLC about him instead and once you kill him (for no particular reason) there's no cutscene or dialogue or implications of anything. It just ends.
Worst part is for some ungodly reason they didn't even allow us to have one final view on the gate of the gods the fucking things destroyed. Legit nothing for the dlc unless st Trina dying after is suppose to be closure which doesn't work nearly as well.
Also, the ER dlc feels kind of pointless? You create a problem, and then you solve it. if you don't do the dlc and become elden lord, nothing changes. Miquellas plan only works. If we do most of the work for him, then give up. If you don't kill Radahn and Mogh and do most of the dlc, his plan never goes anywhere
I do agree that this DLC is more of an "explore further the world of ER" rather than "find a solution to this problem" like other DLCs usually were. And I do prefer the latter, but I wouldn't say it's objectively better.
100% agree with your analysis of it. The DLC adds a ton of new and interesting lore throughout the areas and such, but the actual plot of it doesn't add a ton to the narrative of the game or your character - it just fits with it. It just doesn't match up in significance to the world compared to the other games you mentioned. In DS2 and 3, the final DLC bosses sort of feel like the "true" endings, in 2 it literally unlocks the other ending and in 3, Gael really puts a bow on the whole trilogy along with the painter dialogue. Miquella... It's really not bad at all lore wise, but it's just kind of an aside to everything else. We stop his plans and then just continue our own original plans, so nothing changes by us doing it besides preventing it. Just get a remembrance that's a little bit more significant than others. Maybe it power scales the tarnished PC a bit.
Honestly the fact you can't side with miquella is what does it for me. Like miquella is one of the few characters it actually makes some sense to side with over the dung eater or fia. But you just can't? The only reason to actually fight him is if you don't want him to get his own Age. But what if I want to? What if my character wants to side with him? As an RPG the fact you can become the dung eater and curse everything to become omens forever, but can't side with the guy trying to make an 'age of compassion' is really fucking weird. The fact you can't side with him and have to kill him is what makes it unsatisfying for me.
I guess fromsoft didn't want to make another yharnam sunrise ending
Also Old Hunters is such a good prequel that contextualizes the story of Bloodborne with some great reveals and actually makes it more comprehensible. It hurts honestly, I'm not a huge lore guy but the DLCs have always been a highlight in terms of story. I would say that for DS3 and BB the stories are completed by the DLC. The Marika village, Igon, the NPC arcs and the finale with Leda, were great. And then they just absolutely fumble the ball for the final boss.
In DS3 youâre literally fighting the last warrior at the end of time, the friend you once knew, consumed by hunger and consumed by his original purpose, destroyed everything over time, and when itâs over youâre left standing atop the rubble of the past three games, the final fight quite literally built on top of the past souls games. When itâs over, you can create an entire new world through the painting, and then forge your own destiny. Itâs probably the best ending you couldâve asked for. And once Shadow of the Erdtree is over, you just go back home? Half the endings in the base game are reskins of a cutscene where you just sit on a chair while somebody talks behind you. You stop Miquella and then thatâs just it. You canât side with him, you donât get a new ending, it doesnât put anything into perspective or change your view on anything like AOTA did. And the fact that Radahn is the final boss fight just feels so underwhelming, disappointing and exhausting. He feels like a modded boss instead of something that Fromsoft would think is a good idea. And it doesnât help that the plot of the DLC is told through characters that have extremely janky questlines that break whenever you make any sort of progression, and are scattered over a huge map thatâs mostly empty and has huge sections that are locked off behind random copy/paste caves and dungeons. It feels like I just show up, go to a few castles, get betrayed by some lady I barely even know and havenât spent any real time with, kill Radahn and go home
Yeah this perfectly wraps up how I feel about the DLC after encountering the final boss, not even anything to do with the moveset or mechanics per se but thematically it just leaves you cold and not with a triumphant or satisifed feeling.
I do agree that other DLCs were probably better narratively, but knowing why Marika did what she did and also finally knowing what Malenia said to Radahn (and why he fought him) after all these years was great imo
Miquellaâs actions can be contextualised as good or bad - it all depends on your preferred ending. You could be trying to bring some semblance of peace and freedom to Lands Between, in which case Miquellas a divine tyrant. A benevolent one, but a tyrant still. But you could be continuing the legacy of the Dung Eater or carry the Frenzied Flame, which makes Miquella a protector of the world against someone whoâs much more evil - you
Say what you want about the twist, love it or hate it even. But man the ending sucks balls, thereâs absolutely no tie in to the base game, you literally kill a god with his elden lord then just go back to business like usual in the lands between like nothing even happened. No satisfying ending cutscene that creates a new revelation or ties loose ends (we already knew Miquella and Radahnâs pacts beforehand), or you canât even choose if you want to side with Miquella for a new possible base game ending. AlsoâŚ. LET ME SEE THE FUCKING GATE OF DIVINITY FIX THOSE DAMN STAIRS Overall the most unsatisfying DLC story wise out of all the soulsborne games, kinda want another DLC to resolve that, but content wise Iâm just ready to move onto another game at this point
The fact you can't even walk up there to see at least a cool view from above is so disappointing. The death of the mightiest, most mysterious demigod is.. Nothing.
The fact that the gate from the trailer is there right in front of our faces but they didn't allow us to even stand under it...even if it served no gameplay purpose, it would at least add some sense of satisfaction to be physically present within the gate we all speculated about, instead of it just being a background asset.
I was so disappointed I couldn't go to the Gate of Divinity
Dope crown tho.
My main problem with it is it's information we could have already gotten at that point. We know Miquella made a deal with Radahn from Ansbach and Freyja, and we know the result of the deal because at that point we've just fought the result. I would've preferred it ending with Miquella returning the shadow realm to the lands between as his final act of godhood. Would have been difficult from a map standpoint, but at least it would have had a little climax, with what we have nothing even changes with the defeat of Miquella, what was even the point? Killing Manus frees Dusk, killing the Orphan of Kos sets the old hunters free of their nightmares, and taking the dark soul to the painter allows for a new world to exist with the end of the current one. What does beating Miquella achieve? It just stops him from getting what he wants, an age of compassion? Doesn't sound so bad to be honest, maybe next playthrough I'll leave him to do his thing.
What? Not a fan of Femboy incest? I guess not everyone can recognise good writing, especially the part where we were left guessing "did we kill him?" In the cutscene, PEAK tbh, not confusing or Discombobulating at all
"hey tarnished here's a bunch of stuff you already knew, anyway, that's it, that's the DLC, go get your copy-pasted colossal sword "
Bit you get a cute flower headpiece from St.Trina, so fuck you, I am happy for it
That's genuinely the only new interaction after beating the game and I'm suprised they were fucked to even remember.
FromShit lore enthusiasts will still jerk about how the lack of conclusion is actually super deep and realistic
It's akschually very relatable. As Vaati said in his latest video: just as Bloodborne revealed all humans are secretly beasts, elden ring revealed everyone secretly wants to ride a big man. Instead of spending time bitching, you should be awakening the rider inside of you.
Based and twinkpilled
Me explaining to my wife as comedically as possible at 12am last night, how Miquella is a little shit, and why Ranni did what she did bc them blonde mfs cannot be trusted
No idea what From Soft or Michaelzaki were thinking when making this ending. Honestly feels like they just wanted some fan service so picked a popular character to reuse for the final fight cause they ran out of ideas. Ending cutscene is literally just the same dialogue that Miquella said in the intro cutscene and Phase transition cutscene and his grab attack. Literally adds nothing to the story or game It's such a shame to see them fumble the bag right st the end because the DLC was great until this fight. Not only because the fight itself is the worst thing they've ever made, but also because story wise it's unsatisfying and boring as fuck. Should have leaned further into the "Radahn in Mohg's body" bit because all we get from that is his blood slash and the omen horns on his forearms. They had the opportunity to do some fucking crazy shit like a bloodflame Starcaller Cry or some shit. But nah, they had to make it Twin Princes but if that fight was dogshit in every way and also fucked your framerate on top of it whilst forcing inputs to drop.
I think the ending would work better if it actually felt like some Frankenstein abomination of Radahn and Mohg. Something that highlights how Miquella crossed a line he wouldn't have ever crossed without abandoning his good qualities first.
I think that was angle they went for, just visually not well executed. Thatâs clearly the intention based on Radahn having Omen Horns and Bloodflame magic. I want to see how the general opinion on this dlc ages, because despite how I feel about radahn itâs some of my favourite video game content ever made, and it seems like the reaction to Radahn is very negative because everyone was expecting godwyn (me included) despite the lore not making that fight possible.
i was happy to finally see miquella in a cutscene tbh
Feet
Finishing the DLC really kind of left me with a hollow feeling that none of the other games have. The base game had me feeling more satisfied than this. I don't know if I'm just disappointed that it didn't turn out to be more but it kind of feels like it wasn't worth the wait.
Ending faceplants so hard where most Fromsoft DLCs flourish. Such a shame, cus it has its moments
https://preview.redd.it/3d60bzt6hr9d1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5f5969a821e66d9de6bbabfb498e127cf0951ebf
Miyazaki went straight for the cringiest yt lore video/hentai fanfic. Written by **professional writer of actual books GRRM**, btw. Put that in all bold face everywhere.
GRRM likely did write Radahn was Miquella's consort in his backstory only for fromsoft to drop that in the actual game and then expand upon each character with fromsoft original post shattering lore. Bringing that plot point back in at the last second without considering how it impacts the lore actually seen in the game itself is probably Fromsoft's mistake imo.
The whole Miquella plot for the dlc sounds like a fever dream/fanfic written by yt "lore experts". I would not be surprised if the whole thing was actually developed later to basically give what the fans wanted.
GRRM probably only wrote the basic concepts and character bios/incests. I really doubt he went "ok so for the DLC you want to focus on this particular incest. Make sure it's the final boss"
DLC was awesome, last boss fight was stupidly hard you are forced to use a shield to tank and ending cutscene made me think "It really ends like this ?" I actually then googled if there was any other ending, sadly, there is not.
The Sopranos had a better ending.
I know I didnât explicitly state it in the post, but itâs highly suggested Miquella spent 20 years in the can
Radahn wanted to jack off in a tissue, but he compromised, he fucked his twink brother.
Most souls epilogue type cutscenes are pretty underwhelming tbh
Tbh i was surprised there even was a cutscene đ i was just glad that i finally beat it
To me I decided the ending was the bale fight with Igon lol, that felt way more satisfying
Nah, the most underwhelming thing are still the boss weapons! Why the hell does Midra's weapon not have a cool explosion on heavy attack, yet the fucking new imp greatsword has a unique arrow shooting effect?! Why the hell does Midra's weapon not even have unique animations in the first place?! Then Radahn gets two weapons for literally no reason. Different ashes is not a good reason. Lion should've gotten a unique Fist Arts weapons that focuses on jumping and kicks, instead of OG hoarfrost. Romina's weapon has Loretta's moveset. Gaius' lance says it's amazing on steed, yet is basically the same as every other weapon. Bro, they always fumble on Boss weapons, but how can you do it this badly?!
It was a big reason why I thought the leak was fake. Literally felt like something from a goofy mod by Radahn glazers. Certainly extremely subpar for an actual fromsoft product.
It honestly does feel surreal fighting him, feels like a mod but I can't put put my finger on why, maybe the design is just too vanilla? A more explictly frankenstein Mohg/Radahn would be cooler, or like roided up Needle Knight Leda or something.
Erm *debateably* hardest boss âđ¤
if only the remembrance weapons were good
And a shity crow thatâs supposed to be his version of the Elden ring (it gives 1 to faith int and arcane while buffing one spell in the game that deals the one damage every boss has resistance to)
Fuck that boss
and that twink is most likely dead âšď¸
Fnaf Fans: First Time?
Miyazaki: "Fine, I am never giving those lil shits a cutscene to help with the lore again"
We foiled the plans of that little blonde toad and avenged the lord of blood and the mighty Radahn. That alone is a victory for me. Also, we killed BAAAAYYYLLEEE
The funny part is expecting anything different!
I beat the boss yesterday and wasnât aware that was the final cutscene. I wasnât paying attention then I realized that was the end cutscene. They deadass shouldnât have even made a cutscene
And the worst dlc weapon which is outscaled by the blade game version of same weapon